# What are the benefits of paying for membership? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 7, 2011, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-paying-for-membership/566806 "2011-01-07T23:21:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![iamnotbatman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/858c86/32.png) [@iamnotbatman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamnotbatman)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-paying-for-membership/566806/21 "2011-01-09T19:40:31Z")
Also, a related question: Why does the “Today’s Posts” link count as a search? Surely it isn’t actually doing a search, is it? That would be awfully inefficient given how easy it would be to store and update a single “Today’s Posts” list for user retrieval. ETA: (same goes for “Find all posts by \”, though I can see requiring membership for this because storing such a list may take up a few kb) ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-paying-for-membership/566806/22 "2011-01-10T03:55:40Z")
In Spring, of 2006, I lost my “Charter Member” designation because of the missed resubscription deadline, and was assured that if I paid the appropriate fees to resubscribe, (which, to be fair, were quite reasonable) I would have my “Charter Member” status restored. I paid. It didn’t happen - I’m still a “member”. Just saying… ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-paying-for-membership/566806/23 "2011-01-10T04:00:43Z")
Correction - it was Spring 2009. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-paying-for-membership/566806/24 "2011-01-10T04:18:07Z")
When dread Cthulhu wakens from his eldritch slumber in ancient depths of R’leyh, and rises to consume the souls of all humanity in an orgy of madness and horror besides which even the greatest horrors of prehistory fade to soothing bedtime stories - when that unspeakable day comes that The Stars Are Right - SDMB members will be eaten first. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-paying-for-membership/566806/25 "2011-01-10T04:41:52Z")
> [@iamnotbatman](#): > > What about search? Is there still a 120-sec wait time between searches? About ~5% of the time my search times-out (problem on your side, SDMB? My internet connection is fine, I can assure you). In these cases I am forced to wait 120-sec to refine my search or try again. Don’t complain – until recently, it was _five minutes_ between searches. (Oh, and originally, only members were allowed to use the search engine) ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-paying-for-membership/566806/26 "2011-01-10T04:51:43Z")
I signed up back when it was pay to post because I wanted to search and at the time the board was not indexed by google. Now that guests can search, and it’s indexed by google, I see no reason to pay. The benefits are not nearly enticing enough. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-paying-for-membership/566806/27 "2011-01-10T17:19:20Z")
I see it more as supporting the boards operations and expenses in my own small way. The benefits aren’t really that great, and as others have said you can post as a guest with nearly the same functions as members. To me, if you really like the board, paying a few bucks a year isn’t really that much of a hardship to keep the board going and in peanuts and beer. YMMV. -XT ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-paying-for-membership/566806/28 "2011-01-10T18:32:12Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > In Spring, of 2006, I lost my “Charter Member” designation because of the missed resubscription deadline, and was assured that if I paid the appropriate fees to resubscribe, (which, to be fair, were quite reasonable) I would have my “Charter Member” status restored. > > I paid. > > It didn’t happen - I’m still a “member”. > > Just saying… Not sure what happened but I’ve made it right now. Our apologies. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-paying-for-membership/566806/29 "2011-01-10T18:34:04Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > I see it more as supporting the boards operations and expenses in my own small way. The benefits aren’t really that great, and as others have said you can post as a guest with nearly the same functions as members. To me, if you really like the board, paying a few bucks a year isn’t really that much of a hardship to keep the board going and in peanuts and beer. YMMV. Pretty close to what I was going to say. I view it as similar to my public radio donation. I’m willing to spend a little to keep services I like going. Those of you new to the boards may not know that there have been, in the past, some budget crunches. Paid memberships, and later ads, were added to keep the boards afloat. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-paying-for-membership/566806/30 "2011-01-11T00:03:37Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > You also get the opportunity to pay even more to have a stupid joke under your name. Hey! It was my stupid joke first! ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-paying-for-membership/566806/31 "2011-01-11T00:18:21Z")
My _other_ favorite board is totally free, but I donate $25 to the community kitty every year anyway. The Dope Dues are cheap by comparison and a good value to boot. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-paying-for-membership/566806.md?page=1)